Black5

I have a Zimo MX600R decoder that  I`ve been trying to use in a loco I`ve been rebuilding. My problem is that I`m getting no signal from the decoder to the motor. Power is coming from the track to the decoder but nothing is happening beyond that.

 I`ve tested with another decoder and things work fine , but trying with the Zimo again there`s no drive.

Is there any other simple test I could do at home or is it a bin job?

Many thanks,

Jim.

I`ve been using graphite sticks on the rails now for sometime. My layout is in an integral garage with the usual lifting door which when opened can let in all sorts of mother nature so the top of the layout requires cleaning fairly often.

I use graphite sticks after reading a mention by Phil Parker about a layout in Australia that used graphite because of difficulty reaching some of the areas on their layout.

I`m not sure what the grade is but it`s pretty hard and does wear a groove in the end after some use. Obviously the usual cleaning of wheels etc. still takes place but I find it works well.

In answer to the original post, for me, I get pleasure from reading the printed article.

As a geezer of advancing years, with all the attendant gradual failings, eyesight and fingers that aren`t what they once were, taking time to read and absorb the magazine articles have helped me no end over the years, whereas I`m not a huge user of the computer so reading online might not suit, but each to their own.

One thing I am grateful for though is being able to use the computer to access RMWeb and the help are we able to get from it.

I`m sure my modelling ability would be far less without either.

Jim.

HI JeFFP,

I have to hold my hands up and say, " you were correct " . I have absolutely no idea why but three drivers were un-insulated. I hadn`t checked that thoroughly because  I don`t ever remember buying non insulated. Anyway, your suggestion proved me wrong and I thank you for that and while everything is stripped down I`ll renew all the wheels.

I`ll go and look for the hat with the big D on it!!

Many thanks once again,

Jim.

Hi JeffP,

Thanks for your reply,

I`ve always fitted insulated drivers simply because it hopefully reduces the chance of any problem that might arrive in that area. However, you could be correct and time has dimmed the memory. I will double check though.

Jim.

II GRIFONE and 34theletterbetweenB&D

Many thanks for your replies,

I understand totally the need for insulation on the brushes, having two other metal bodied/brass chassis locos which work fine. Further checking has revealed only one wheel appears to have insulation that is working. all the others are live to the axles. One of the reasons I stripped everything was the fact that I noticed the valve gear was live as well so my feeling was that I was looking at a possible list of problems as you say.

All the axles have washers fitted so I`m pretty certain nothing is in contact with the chassis from that point. The last thing to check is the balance weights , which are etched brass, but are inboard of the insulation band. If that proves ok then a new set of drivers will hopefully put things right.

Like 34, I`ve never come across this problem before but I suppose it can happen.

Best wishes,

Jim.

Evening all,

While installing a dcc chip in a loco the other day I noticed that the chassis was live. As the driving wheels are insulated Romfords, could it be that the insulation has broken down ? (if that`s possible ) and is making the chassis live through the axles? If that is the case my other question is , does this affect the use of the decoder at all in any way?

The loco runs fine on DC and has also been running using a basic Hornby decoder on a Portescap motor. The intention is to fit a ZIMO decoder once things are back together.

You might say, if it`s running alright just carry on, but I wondered if there was a problem in the future it might be difficult to decide if it was the decoder or the live chassis.

Changing the wheels will be a thing I will do but I was curious to know the answer to the other questions.

Many thanks,

Jim.

Thanks Pete the Elaner, I`ll note those down as well.

Thanks for your reply. No I haven`t tried that. I`m going to have another look later to see if there`s anything else going on that I haven`t  spotted.

Evening all,

I have a loco with a Zimo MX600R decoder in it that has suddenly decided to run at one speed only. Prior to this it had been fine but now wont respond to the controller.

It`s also not responding to the emergency stop. Having never come across this before I wondered if anyone might know the reason why. I have another similar decoder but I`m reluctant to try it in case I end up damaging that one.

Many thanks,

Jim.

Pleased to be able to help John. Best of luck with your re-installation. I have a portescap in my scratchbuilt Duchess that`s going to get a Zimmo decoder in it. Like yours, my loco and motor are both 40 yrs old.

Cheers,

Jim.

High John,

I`ve sent the picture as a PDF. Hopefully it`s arrived at your end and it`s of some use to you. Let me know if there`s a problem.

Cheers,

Jim.

RG4.pdf

Hi John, I have the circuit diagram in relation to a Portescap RG 4 motor. It`s a very basic outline and may not be what you want. I can take a picture on my phone , but I need to figure out how load it to be able to send it , not having used this new system before. Let me know if it might be any use to you.

Jim.

Thankyou DLT and Gordon A. You were both correct, I should have said a 1/8th axle, not 3mm.

Many thanks for the information. I`ll follow that up and see what happens.

Many thanks once again,

 Jim.

Afternoon all,

I`m in the process of trying to convert a loco chassis that held a Romford Bulldog motor into one that will take a Portescap motor.

So far, things have progressed well but I`ve now come to a halt because I need to locate a final drive gear for the motor. As far as I can tell , I would need a 10mm dia, 15 tooth gear with a 3mm dia hole to take a  Romford axle.

I`ve checked various sites but have not found one yet and I wondered if anyone could point me in the right direction.

If all else fails, I`ll have to go back to the other motor.

Many thanks,

Jim.

Enjoyed the program last night with all the differing sides to the hobby.

Most of us realise anyway,but I thought more mention could have been made regarding the skills that the hobby gives you that young people could learn, modelling , electrical, woodworking, artwork and patience. How many other hobbies have such a range? I think in this day and age of almost instant everything ,the challenge of the modelling companies like Hornby is to encourage youngsters to stay with the hobby longterm and that might be difficult. I`m 77 and come from a generation where in railway terms we had a lot going on around us every day, but for todays youngsters, not quite so much. I agree with an earlier post regarding the program that followed, it would have made a bigger impact shown the other way round to see the progress made over the years.

Looking forward to part two.

High Richard B and Jason. First an apology. The chassis is a Comet one, not a Crownline. I`d been looking at some Crownline bits and pieces I had and I think their name got stuck in my head. 

Since my last message I`ve had a bit of a fiddle around with it and cheated somewhat by shaving a bit off the tops of the cylinder casting. Not the ideal solution I know but it certainly looks better than it did at first. Hopefully that won`t create another problem.

I appreciate that the Comet chassis is a drop in but I thought trying to alter the footplate a bigger problem  so chose the other way.

I`ll put a picture on shortly but there`s a long way to go yet before completion.

Many thanks both for your help.

Jim.

Afternoon all,

I`m currently trying to fit a Mainline Rebuilt Scot body to a Crownline chassis. So far the chassis and driving wheels have been assembled with much carving of the inside of the wheel splashers to get the wheels to turn without interference.

The problem that I have now is that on starting to fit the cylinder assembly it`s  lifted the whole front end of the loco which certainly doesn`t look right. ( Somethig like 2mm too high ).

I`m therefore asking if anyone else has attempted this combination of chassis and body and if so, did they manage to get round the problem or am I simply being too fussy.

The tender seems to be pretty good, buffer height and footplate level. It`s the loco that`s got the problem. If I get the running plate level, the cab end is way out to the tender

I wondered if shaving some off the tops of the cylinder casting would work without altering things too much.

Any suggestions wuold be appreciated ( even if it`s " bin it and use the chassis for something else ")

Many thanks ,

 Jim.

That`s turned out very well Ian. Food for thought for me on an older Mainline re-built Scot.

Must admit, I enjoy trying to improve an older model.

Regards,

 Jim.

Good to see things moving again Ian.

You`re going to have a lot of fun with that, and maybe an amount of frustration if things don`t quite fit.

Best of luck with the new project,

The seasons best wishes,

 Jim.

That`s a really nice piece of work.

Great when a plan, or a thought, comes together and it works.

Thanks for the pictures.

Good morning,

 Further to everyone`s helpful advice yesterday, I`ve ordered some Neodymium magnets from First4Magnets so that`s my starting point followed by a new decoder and I`ll see what happens.

I can reduce the weight by making a new loco and tender chassis but I want to see what happens with these improvements first.

Many thanks once again,

Jim.

Many thanks for all the replies. certainly much to ponder on.

Jim.

For my older locos I have used Digitrax DN136D decoders. They handle 1.5 amps max and are relatively small. If you motor is old I would have the magnet re-magnetised. If it has lost power the motor will pull too many amps for the decoder.

Thanks for that. The motor seems ok at the moment so i`ll look for the larger decoder and try it.  Where would you go to get a magnet re-maganatised, having never been down that route before.?

Many thanks.

Afternoon all,

I`ve recently rebuilt a Jamieson Streamlined Coronation kit that I`d stripped for re-painting a long time ago.

The motor is a Romford Bulldog so you can see how old things are!. After giving it a run on DC I decided to have a go at fitting a decoder which I have managed to do using an

MX600 decoder and the loco runs albeit a bit growly.

My question is, given that the loco and tender are pretty hefty, weight wise, the loco is becoming quite warm after a while, although it`s only an end to end layout.

As the decoder is rated at 0.8A  could someone suggest a more suitable decoder that might suit better?

I realise the present decoder will get warm with use. but this seemed a bit excessive to me.

The MX600 is protected with a clear case that is virtually moulded to it`s shape and I wondered if that may be partly why it`s getting so warm.

Or, maybe it`s all how it should be.

Many thanks,

Jim.